KudoEdogawa presents...
""The Summer Without You""
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Chapter 8::
"Vermouth, you said you'd release her if you get me!" Shinichi roared. "Now I'm here, are you going back on your words?"
Vermouth's lips curled into a cruel smile. "Yes..., but for many times I requested that you, Hattori, and Sherry come alone..., yet you still brought your girlfriend and that karate champion here." Vermouth took out her gun and pointed it at Kazuha, "If you want her to stay alive, you better come get her."
Before either Heiji or Shinichi could do anything, Vermouth fired. Kazuha let out a muffled scream and shut her eyes, preparing for death...but it did not come. She heard two loud thumps and the next thing she knew she was pushed on the the ground as the bullet flew over her head. She opened her eyes; Ran and Makoto seemed to have taken action as soon as their presence were noted and they knocked Gin and Vodka to the ground and saved her just in time. Ran and Makoto freed Kazuha from her restrains and stood back up.
Vermouth snarled softly and aimed her gun again.
"No you don't!" Shinichi shouted and charged into Vermouth, sending her to the ground.
Gin and Vodka had regained their strength and also took out their guns and fired at Ran and Makoto, who dodged just in time. Ran sent a kick at Vodka and it was blocked by someone else--a man in black with cold, deadly eyes.
"Just in time, Sake." Vodka said.
"Sake...?" Ran repeated.
"I heard that you're good at karate, Mouri-san," Sake said, "Let me see just how good you are." He aimed a fierce punch at Ran, who did a back-flip to dodge and readied herself for battle when she landed. Sake smiled, "Not bad."
On the other side of the room, Shinichi was running all around, trying to dodge Vermouth's eyeless bullets. "Stay put, you brat!" She snarled and fired, but all that came was a clicking sound. She growled angrily and tossed the gun away and took out her new weapon from her pockets and grinned.
"Darts?!" Shinichi exclaimed as one of the darts missed him, just barely.
"You're not gonna be able to save yourself if you don't get out some sort of weapon, Cool Kid..."
Shinichi seemed to have realized that as well and looked around the room nervously. Vermouth smiled again as she fired the rest of the darts. Shinichi's eyes darted to a wooden board near him, he crouched for the board and stood back up, holding the board in front of him, catching all the needles.
"I don't need weapons, Vermouth," Shinichi said, smiling, "only defense." He tossed the board at Vermouth like a Frisbee, the board of darts hit Vermouth in the stomach, faltering her steps.
Gin and Vodka ran for the steel stairs on the side of the warehouse and reached the second floor. Gin took out his gun and fired at the pursuing Makoto, who leapt into the air, grabbed the rail of the stairs, twisted his body, and landed on the second floor, dodging all the bullets.
"Is that how you fight?" Makoto questioned Gin. "Hide like a coward and play dirty?"
Gin started to shake with rage, Vodka looked helpless. "Boss..."
"Shut up!" Gin said and fired the gun next to him, killing Vodka right on the spot.
"You're sick," Makoto said, "Killing your comrade just like that. You're absolutely sick-minded."
Gin laughed, his eyes full of rage and thirsted for blood, "That would be me," he whispered hoarsely.
Back downstairs, Heiji has unsheathed his katana, fighting against Bloody Mary with her metal rod that she picked up in the abandoned warehouse. The sounds of steel clanging echoed throughout the barren warehouse.
"Not bad," Heiji commented after Bloody Mary dodged a particularly fierce hit.
"I was on the kendo team." She said simply and they resumed fighting.
Kazuha stood in midst of the battles, occasional rookies would appear from here and there now and then. Kazuha, who knew some karate skills from Ran, was able to protect herself from these insignificant enemies. But as the battle progressed, more and more people came and one of them snuck up behind her grabbed her by the wrist.
Kazuha let out a chuckle and her enemy chuckled. There was a soft tap on the man's back. He turned around to see four kids beaming at him.
"One pair of power-up sneakers is enough," said Ai.
"But can you stand four?" Ayumi finished and the kids, all of them wearing a pair of power-up sneakers made by Hakase, leapt into the air and kicked at the enemy, knocking him unconscious.
Kazuha smiled at her helpers and turned to face another men, "Looks like the tide is changing," she said and delivered quick, but painful punches. The detective boys jumped here and there, kicking various of things and the enemy: useless pieces of wood, thin strips of steel, leftover soda cans, and even Vermouth's abandoned gun.
Near the chaotic game of soccer, Shinichi and Vermouth have started a game of tag. Vermouth's sending punches this way and that way, up and down and all over the place, but all that Shinichi was doing was jumping out of the line of fire of this deadly woman.
"Aren't you tired of dodging?" Vermouth shouted out of frustration. "Can't you stay put for the most miniscule amount of time?"
"Aren't you tired of hitting?" Shinichi asked back, there was a moment of pause in their fighting. "Yeah," Shinichi said a moment later, "I am tired of this game." Shinichi raise his leg and swept it at Vermouth's face, striking her with a beautiful round-house kick. Vermouth was knocked back again on the ground, holding her face painfully, her lips bleeding. "Courtesy of Ran." Shinichi added.
Vermouth growled and got back up, striking here and there, Shinichi, who was too busy worrying about the others, was caught off guard and received all of those hits with their full power.
"Kyaa!" Vermouth screamed and sent Shinichi sliding across the floor. His eye was bruised and one of Vermouth's sharp fingernails made a nasty cut on his shoulders. The two of them, beaten and injured, stared at each other and panted quick breaths.
"Hiya!" Came Kazuha's voice a few feet next to them. "Take that! and this! and that! and this! Hiya!"
Vermouth's cold eyes darted towards Kazuha, and without warning, she dashed for her. Vermouth fingers grasped Kazuha firmly around the wrist and dragged Kazuha with her up the stairs.
"Hattori!" Shinichi shouted. Heiji paused in his battle to see what had happened and his face screwed up in anger. He sheathed his blade and chased after Vermouth up the stairs. Bloody Mary tried to follow after him but was stopped by Shinichi. "There's been a minor change in the battle arrangements," he said to her and again delivered a round-house kick, the power and skill of it developed by long years of soccer.
Hattori chased after Vermouth, who had tied Kazuha's arm up again, even while running. They ran past Sake and Ran, both still fighting. Ran had her arms crossed in front of her, against the strength of a grown men, she could do nothing but block the fast and furious punches of her opponent. The chase advanced up stairs where Makoto is struggling against Gin, who's trying to push him off the second floor, both of them seems to have no serious injuries like the others. Now past Vodka's dead body, to which Vermouth growled at, and up another flight of stairs, and higher and higher up the building they go.
Kazuha was screaming and kicking, demanding that she be freed, and Heiji chasing behind them, full of worry, rage, and concern, had to witness Vermouth smacking his childhood friend right in the stomach, knocking Kazuha unconscious.
"Damn you, Vermouth!" Heiji shouted behind her. And higher up they went, running through the dark hallways of the building. A door blocked the way ahead, Vermouth grunted and pushed the door open and the light of the newly risen sun faced her. The rooftop was painted blood red and gold by the sunrise. Vermouth walked towards the edge of the building, pushing Kazuha in front of her, waiting for her pursuer.
Heiji appeared a moment later, sweating and panting with fury and weariness. Vermouth's lips curled again into a cruel smile, she looked coldly at Heiji and before Heiji could acknowledge what's happening, she pushed Kazuha off the edge of the building, the sound of the wind rushing past her falling body could be heard clearly.
Heiji's eyes widened in horror, "KAZUHA!!!!" He cried and tears blurred his vision. He ran to the place where Kazuha had fallen and looked down: there was nothing.
"KAZUHAAAAAAAA!!"
~T o B e C o n t i n u e d~
Aw come on, you don't think I'd really kill her, now did you? But whatever happens next...try to use a little observation and imagination before I finish the next and final chapter...